Other inductees include three-time NCAA National Championship coach Kim Mulkey, college basketball coach Barbara Stevens and longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann, who died of a heart attack in 2018 at the age of 41.

“The Class of 2020 is undoubtedly one of the most historic of all time and the talent and social influence of these nine honorees is beyond measure,” said John Doleva, chief executive of the Hall of Fame.

“In 2020, the basketball community has suffered the unimaginable loss of iconic figures Commissioner David Stern and Kobe Bryant, as well as the game itself due to COVID-19.

“We have also banded together like never before in appreciation of the game and those who have made it the uniting force it is today.”

The basketball world was left stunned by Bryant’s death earlier this year, with the crash also claiming the life of his daughter Gianna and seven others.

The NBA season has also been left in disarray by the coronavirus pandemic, with the campaign halted indefinitely last month and the league currently on hiatus.

Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, told ESPN her late husband’s posthumous elevation to the Hall of Fame ranked as one of his greatest career milestones.

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